Gay congressmen forming political action committee for LGBT lawmakers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Two gay congressmen are forming a political action committee to support the elections of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lawmakers.

Reps. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., announced Tuesday they are co-chairing the Equality PAC, which is endorsing Angie Craig, a congressional candidate from Minnesota running to fill the seat of retiring Rep. John Kline.

The PAC is also supporting the re-election bids of Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y.

"Unlike other organizations, Equality PAC is not a single-issue organization," a statement on the committee's website reads. "Instead, we help elect candidates who support a broader equality agenda -- one that includes LGBT rights, better pathways to citizenship, reproductive freedom, equal pay and reducing income inequality."

Takano is the first openly gay Asian American in Congress, and Sinema is likewise the first openly bisexual lawmaker to serve on Capitol Hill.

The PAC will also support straight candidates who back LGBT causes.

It will join ranks with other similarly themed PACs, such as the Victory Fund, which has worked to elect LGBT candidates since 1991.

"By electing more LGBT members to the House, the Equality PAC will ensure that Congress better reflects the diversity of the American people," The Hill quoted Takano as saying.